Go International: The Benefits of Studying Abroad

Many universities offer degrees with placements abroad tied into it, ranging from a few weeks to an entire year. While your individual experience will vary depending on the course and university you attend (some will be work placements, others will be more university campus based), the benefits to both your CV and life experience generally are huge.

You’d think such a unique opportunity would have floods of students running towards it in a stampede that would rival that emotional scene in the Lion King, but actually only 6.6% of students spend time abroad as part of their degree.

It’s no wonder that Universities UK launched Go International: Stand Out, a three-year campaign to increase the number of UK students spending time abroad as part of their studies, whether they’re working, studying or volunteering, for at least a fortnight. Their goal? To double the number of students doing placements abroad by 2020.

And they’re not just bringing this message to students either, Universities UK is asking universities to pledge concrete actions to help their students do placements abroad, and over 50 universities have already signed up.

Infact, students who have studied abroad, according to UUKi's Gone International: Mobility Works and Research by the European Commission, are:

9% more likely to achieve a 1st or 2:1 at graduation

24% less likely to be unemployed

9% more likely to be in a graduate job six months after graduation

Have a 5% higher wage after graduation

More likely to have managerial jobs 10 years after graduation

More likely to start their own company

Not only this, but employers are also actively searching for graduates who have awareness of other cultures. Research by CBI/Pearson found 39% of employers were dissatisfied with graduates' international cultural awareness and 47% were dissatisfied with graduates' language skills. If that wasn’t enough, 70% of small-medium businesses believe future executives at their company would need foreign language skills and international experience.

So even a few weeks spent in another country will make your job application stand out from the pack, give you a few more pennies in the bank and have you in senior roles quicker. What’s not to love?

Our very own Editor, Safeera Sarjoo, did a placement in New York at RDF Media, working on their research and outreach team for six weeks in the heart of Manhattan. Not only did she finally get to fulfil her dream of working in the big apple, she also realised what her true passion really was, and what her career was going to be when she got home.

Our very own Safeera Sarjoo, who did a placement in New York

She told us: “I thought I wanted to work in broadcast media, and even though I learnt about the inner workings of making a prime-time TV show, I realised writing was my passion. It was a real eye opener for me.”

As well as learning that writing was going to be in her future, Safeera also learnt a lot skillset wise on her placement, both for her CV and for her working life in the future. She explains:

“Learning from professionals in one of the major entertainment cities in the world has to be one of the best things about doing a placement abroad. I built up other skill sets that I wasn’t using as much such as research skills, communication and presentation skills. Also, as cheesy as it sounds, just being in a different city adds a different dimension and appreciation for what you’re doing, whether that’s studying abroad or a placement.”

Whether you’re abroad for two weeks, two months or an entire year, you’re bound to pick up some of the language, even if it’s the basics of “please” “thank you” and “I’m lost, can you help me?”.

Fiona Lindley studied Italian and Spanish at the University of St. Andrews, and took part in a year-long Erasmus exchange at the Università degli Studi di Padova in Italy. Fiona actually had the choice between an Erasmus study year, work placement or TEFL scheme placement, and decided the study year was the best option, as it ensured that all areas of language study (reading, writing, understanding and speaking) were developed simultaneously.

Fiona (second right) and her Italian flatmates

As well as learning in the lecture halls, Fiona’s language skills developed through her new flatmates and friendships. She explains:

“I shared a flat with three Italian girls – in spite of an initial language barrier (and months of taking my pocket dictionary to the dinner table as a comfort blanket), the girls and their extended circle of friends were such a great help to me and had unlimited patience in correcting me or explaining how the language worked in real life!

“I absorbed so much from just hanging out and speaking with them and they challenged me to keep up the learning process outside of lectures by watching TV shows or films together with dubbing/subtitles and listening to Italian radio stations.”

As well as growing academically, placements abroad will develop key soft skills, such as communication, problem solving and confidence.

Fiona told us, ““Learning and eventually mastering a foreign language takes a lot of persistence, determination and hard work - but the magical moment when everything seems to fall into place is a phenomenal feeling and a huge accomplishment.”

These skills can not only be transferred when you’re back at your home campus, but also when you enter the workplace as a graduate. Employers love people who know how to communicate effectively, and this key skill will jump off your CV as a result of your time abroad.

Going abroad means you’ll make a ton of new friends who you would never have met otherwise. And who knows, those new friends could end up being very useful work contacts in the future.

Our very own account manager Kate Wright studied Business Management and Spanish at the specialist business school ICADE in Madrid. This was part of a compulsory Erasmus scheme that Cardiff University (which she attended) ran in her third year and she made plenty of great mates during her time there.

Kate did an Erasmus scheme in Madrid

Kate says:

“I made so many friends from an array of nationalities including Mexican, German, Italian, Colombian, Czech and French. These are people that I still keep in touch with now, and know that if I was in their local city they would happily put me up for the weekend!”

She agrees that her placement grew her skillset and believes it’s a great way to stand out to employers. “The fact you’ve done the year abroad makes you interesting – employers/colleagues want to talk to you about it…you will set yourself above the majority of graduates leaving university”.

By studying abroad, you may get the opportunity to study something that your UK-based university doesn’t offer, from additional classes to completely different modules.

The opportunity to learn something completely different from her classmates made an Erasmus exchange even more tempting for Fiona. She told us, "I could broaden my academic experience by attending some fantastic language and literature modules that my own university did not offer.”

Advice From Graduates Who’ve Studied Abroad

Still feeing unsure about doing a placement abroad? We asked the students who had shared their stories with us for advice for anyone feeling unsure about being a student abroad.

Safeera says:

“The experience you get when you go abroad is incomparable. You learn so much more about yourself when you leave your home country and see just how vast the world is. Studying or doing a placement abroad widens your perspective, gives you exposure to people who may end up becoming important contacts or lifelong friends.”

Fiona says:

"At first it can seem like a daunting and scary prospect, but once you are out there living and breathing a whole new language, meeting new people and immersing yourself in a new culture every day, you will be surprised how quickly you can adapt!"

Kate says:

“Make sure you put yourself out there and don’t take yourself too seriously. It’s a new country, with new people, so you have nothing to lose! Just try and be as much of a ‘yes’ person as possible. If you get nervous just before going, home is never that far away. It’s pretty easy to get a last-minute flight, or even just have a long video call with friends/family. So, if you’re having a tough day with it all, don’t give up, and know that home is in reach if you need it.”